Jessica tossed the plastic plate into the sink as she passed by, adding to the pile of filthy dishes that was gathering there. She had plans to clean the apartment later. She wasn't sure if she'd get around to it though. She had other stuff to do.

Jessica sat down at her desk and pulled up the last tab she had open: a pirated horror movie with a cast of C-list actors. She resumed the movie and took a sip from the rum and Coke she had at her desk. It looked like it was going to be a better than average Saturday.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" shouted Jessica, pausing the movie.

She looked up as the door open and she saw Bobbi Morse standing there. She was wearing her brown leather jacket, black skinny jeans, and boots. She stared silently for a moment, awaiting Jessica's response.

"Get out," said Jessica, looking back at her computer .

"Jessica, wait-" began Bobbi.

"I said get out," repeated Jessica angrily, standing up and glaring at Bobbi.

Bobbi paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded her head. The two of them hadn't spoken since the formation of the Avengers, an experience that had left a bad taste in Jessica's mouth. Bobbi and Jessica had hooked up after the battle and had an amazing night together. Then Maria Hill kicked Peter off the team before it was even formed in the most humiliating way possible, demeaning him in front of all the heroes he had worked so hard to impress. Jessica had left the team in disgust, but Bobbi stayed on.

"What if I told you I was here on professional business?" asked Bobbi.

"Then my professional advice is to get the fuck out."

"Jessica," tried Bobbi again, "If you want, we can talk about-"

"We fucked and you're a piece of shit," said Jessica, "What else is there to talk about?"

"...I'll pay 5 times your usual rate," said Bobbi.

"What?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is footing the bill," said Bobbi, "They need to find someone and I think you're the person to do it."

"5 times my usual rate?" asked Jessica, "Seriously? You know that's $250 an hour?"

"Yes."

Jessica paused and thought for a moment.

"I want a down payment upfront."

"Deal."

Jessica had set up her apartment for a brainstorming session. She had cleared her desk, where Bobbi had laid out all of the information she already had on the case. Jessica wheeled out her whiteboard from the closet and began jotting down notes on it as they talked.

"Who is this chick?" asked Jessica as she looked over the information.

"Monica Rappaccini," said Bobbi, "Scientist Supreme of Advanced Idea Mechanics. You remember how we told you that it was A.I.M. that brought the Phalanx?"

"Yeah."

"She was the one behind it all."

"You think she's going to try it again?" asked Jessica.

"Unlikely," said Bobbi, "The Phalanx collective was, as far as we could tell, the only one of its kind. But she's been scavenging their tech."

"Scavenging?"

"We left a dreadnought in space, Jessica," said Bobbi, "a big one. S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing its best to keep control of all the advanced tech, but some of it falls through the cracks. Literally. Pieces of Phalanx tech have been falling out of orbit down to Earth. We think Rappaccini has been hoarding it."

"For what?"

"Advanced weapons for the black market," said Bobbi.

"Of course."

Jessica drummed her fingers on the desk and thought. She sat down and began looking at the different documents Bobbi had laid out there.

"Listen, Jessica," began Bobbi after a few minutes of silence, "about what happened after the Phalanx…"

"I thought you were here on business," said Jessica coldly, not looking up.

"Right."

Several more minutes passed as Jessica continued to stare at the documents, occasionally getting up to jot down more notes on the whiteboard. It was all written in some sort of personal shorthand that Bobbi didn't understand.

"So you're confident she's in the city?" asked Jessica.

"Yes," nodded Bobbi, "We have confirmed sightings of her at arms deals here."

Jessica looked at another document.

"Holy shit," she realized, "A.I.M. captured an entire aircraft carrier?"

"A few years back," said Bobbi, "Yes."

"Why didn't I hear about it?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. goes to great lengths to make sure the public feels safe."

"You mean they covered it up."

"Yes," sighed Bobbi.

Jessica glared at Bobbi again before she went back to reviewing the files.

"If that theft had been made public," said Bobbi after a moment, "there would have been mass panic. People would have been terrified of what A.I.M. would do."

"You mean like contact an alien hivemind to enslave Earth?" said Jessica, "Yeah, good thing nobody was worrying about that. What a waste of time that would have been."

Bobbi didn't respond. This wasn't the time to debate the fine points of military authority. Jessica was her professional partner in this mission and she had to respect that. She would keep internal conflict to a minimum.

"Is this manifest accurate?" asked Jessica, "The one for the aircraft carrier?"

"Yes. Why?"

Jessica looked at the sheet for another few seconds before pointing to an item on the list and showing Bobbi.

"How many cyclone-class ships do you think we'll find in the harbor?"

Among the listed stolen equipment on the manifest was the Chairman, a Cyclone-class patrol ship that was with the stolen aircraft carrier when it had disappeared.

"If a military vessel appeared in the New York harbor, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have known."

"Only if they knew where to look," said Jessica, "There are a few boat houses controlled by organized crime in this city. One of them could easily house this ship."

"Do you know where to find these places?"

"Yes," said Jessica, gathering her things, "I'll let you know what I find."

"Nope," said Bobbi, stepping in front of Jessica as she approached the door, "You're taking me with you."

"Not happening."

"This is a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission," Bobbi reminded Jessica, "I need to be present for all key operations. If I can't verify that, they will halt that payment."

Jessica scowled at Bobbi for a moment before nodding.

"Fine," she said, "The fastest way there is probably-"

"We'll take Huntress."

"We'll take what now?"

"My motorcycle," said Bobbi, "Sorry, her name's Huntress."

"You named your motorcycle?"

"Come on, I'll introduce you!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. She had almost forgotten how much of a massive nerd Bobbi was.

They walked out of the apartment and out onto the street in front of it. Jessica looked around for the motorcycle in question. Bobbi whistled to get Jessica's attention as she strolled over to it. Jessica stared. It was nice looking sports bike. It had a shiny black coat with purple streaks across it. The tires looked fresh and unworn. Jessica wasn't a motorcycle expert, but it looked like this was either a brand new vehicle or one that was very carefully maintained.

Bobbi grabbed a motorcycle helmet hanging off the side and put it on as she mounted the bike. Then she pulled on a set of gloves and readied herself to drive.

"Hop on!" shouted Bobbi as she kicked up the kickstand and started revving the engine.

Jessica wearily walked up to the bike and climbed on behind Bobbi. Jessaica didn't like the idea of being so close to Bobbi again after what she had done, but she didn't have a lot of choice if she wanted to go with her. Jessica had just wrapped her hands around Bobbi's waist when the agent spoke up.

"Ah, ah, ah," she tisked, "We're not going anywhere until you put on your helmet."

"Helmet?"

Bobbi pointed to a dorky looking bike helmet hanging off the side of the motorcycle. It wasn't like Bobbi's helmet, which wrapped around her whole face and made her look like a badass biker. This helmet was basically a glorified hardhat that would barely fit on Jessica's head.

"No."

"Yes."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Jessica, I will wait here until you put it on."

"Oh my God," sighed Jessica, grabbing the helmet in resignation, "You're such a goddamn dweeb."

Bobbi pulled up by the sidewalk and parked her motorcycle. Jessica climbed off the bike and unclipped her helmet's chinstrap. Bobbi snickered at the sight. Jessica scowled in response.

"That was humiliating," she grunted, tossing Bobbi the helmet.

"Oh come on," smiled Bobbi, catching the helmet and hooking it to her bike, "It can't be as bad as that wedgie I gave you."

"You mean back when I thought you were kidnapping mutants?" snapped Jessica, "Fuck yourself."

Bobbi lowered her head shamefully. Jessica really did have it out for her now. Maybe she wasn't totally out of line, either.

"So this is the place?" asked Bobbi awkwardly.

"One of them," said Jessica, "It's a good place to start, at least. They have plenty of room to store a ship that big."

"And if Rappaccini isn't using the ship?"

"Then we try another angle."

"Good thing for you you're hourly."

"Damn right."

Bobbi grabbed two steel batons off the side of her motorcycle. They were the only weapons Jessica had seen her use. She wasn't sure if Bobbi specifically avoided using firearms or simply preferred the batons, but in an odd way it made Jessica feel safer around her than other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

They arrived at the boathouse and Jessica guided Bobbi around the back. They climbed up and snuck in through a window, climbing through the scaffolding as they looked down. The boathouse was mostly empty, save for some storage containers on the walls and small utility boats floating in the water. There was no cyclone-class ships to be seen.

"Alright," whispered Bobbi, "She's not here. What's the next-"

"Sh!"

Jessica was listening intently to a conversation some of the workers were having below. They were talking to a woman dressed in all black with facial piercings and black lipstick. She didn't look like the type to frequent places like this.

"She's late," said the woman impatiently, "I have places to be."

"I'm sure none of those places will sell you what she's selling," said one of the workers, "Leave if you like, but it's your loss."

The woman grumbled and crossed her arms. Jessica sighed as she thought to herself. This was definitely some sort of operation, but it was difficult to say what for. Given the fact that it was happening in a boathouse and that the product seemed to be highly sought after…

"There!" whispered Jessica.

That's when the boat entered. It wasn't immediately recognizable as the Chairman. In fact, it didn't look military at all. Heavy modifications had been done to it to make it pass as a civilian ship, but Jessica recognized the layout from the documents Bobbi had shown her.

"I'll be damned…" whispered Bobbi.

Rappaccini herself entered the room a few minutes later. She did not look subtle. She wore a thick green jumpsuit adorned with glowing lights and switches. She was followed by several armed soldiers in combat suits carrying a large crate. They slowly carried it down to the woman in black, where Rapaccini approached her directly. They opened the crate to show her some sort of green and yellow bodysuit inside.

"Alright," whispered Jessica, "Let's do this."

"Wait," warned Bobbi quietly, "I'm certain she has backup aboard the ship. If we attack her now they'll swarm us."

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Jessica, "You call S.H.I.E.L.D. in and we'll have a firefight on our hands. People nearby could get hurt."

Bobbi thought for a moment.

"Let's sneak onboard," she said, "Take out her backup one by one."

"That's…" said Jessica, "...not a bad plan, actually."

"I know," smiled Bobbi, "Come on, let's go kick some butt."

Jessica groaned.

The soldier grunted as Jessica slammed his head into the wall and knocked him out. A couple more soldiers drew their weapons on Jessica, but Bobbi had disarmed them both with her batons before they could fire. She then clicked something on her batons as she flicked them, doubling them in length. She took out both soldiers with one more carefully aimed strike each.

"How many more do you think there are?" asked Jessica.

"Not too many," said Bobbi.

They were aboard the Chairman. They had managed to sneak aboard easily while Rappaccini and the others were distracted with their arms deal. The hallways aboard were extremely narrow and cramped, but Jessica and Bobbi were making good progress. They had taken out nearly a dozen soldiers by that point.

"What's that?" asked Jessica, nodding at a large open room down the hall.

"Storage," said Bobbi, "Maybe that's where she keeps the tech she sells."

"Maybe."

The two entered the room. It was indeed being used for storage, but none of it seemed to be particularly advanced or even dangerous. It looked to be mostly maintenance supplies. They were both peering about when they heard the metal door slam behind them. They both turned and rushed to the door, but it was locked from the other side.

"Shit!" cursed Jessica, "They trapped us!"

She began pounding on the metal door, but her strength wasn't enough to do much. After a few minutes of beating it, having only accomplished a small dent, Jessica collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Bobbi looked at her sadly, then began rummaging through the supplies in the room.

"What's the plan?" asked Jessica.

"I don't know," admitted Bobbi, searching through the supplies, "but I'll think of something."

"Let me know when you do," sighed Jessica, pulling out her phone.

Bobbi continued searching through the supplies, tossing aside random tools and materials in her search.

"Fuck," said Jessica, "No reception."

Bobbi angrily threw the last toolbox at the wall, crying out in fury. Jessica winced as she heard the crashing sound of the impact before Bobbi fell into a slump against the opposite wall and buried her face in her hands.

"I can't believe it…" groaned Bobbi.

"How do you think I feel?" asked Jessica angrily, "I'm probably going to die because I decided to help a goddamn traitor!"

"Traitor!?" exclaimed Bobbi in disbelief, now out of patience, "Maybe you forgot, but I voted to keep Peter on the team, Jessica!"

"A whole lotta good that did!" retorted Jessica, "And you certainly didn't do anything to stop what was happening. Hell, you're still working for the people who did it!"

"Do you have any idea how much of a risk I took by voting against Hill!?" demanded Bobbi, "She noticed, Jessica. I might have very well just made an enemy with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"Yeah, well Peter and I didn't have much choice in whether we made enemies of out of her," hissed Jessica, "Did we?"

"I spent years getting to where I am in S.H.I.E.L.D.!" yelled Bobbi, "Years of working harder than I ever thought possible! Do you have any idea what it means that I risked throwing all of that a way?!"

"...why do you even want to work for them?"

Bobbi paused for a moment. She thought hard about how to respond.

"I'm not like you," she finally said, leaning her head back against the wall, "or Peter, for that matter. I'm just a girl with a couple of sticks. I don't have any powers or useful skills. I'm just really good at being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. They provide me with training, resources… Without S.H.I.E.L.D... Well, I'm nothing."

"...except for a skilled martial artist with a PhD in biology," pointed out Jessica.

"Yeah," sighed Bobbi, "except for that."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"None of that changes what you did to Peter," said Jessica.

"I didn't-"

"Shut up," said Jessica, "You were right there. You watched that psychopath dehumanize him and you did nothing. You were complicit. As far as I'm concerned, you're just as responsible as Hill."

"Jessica, that's not-"

"I trusted you, Bobbi!" cried Jessica, angrily rising to her feet, "I let you in and not a day later you stood by while my best friend was tormented and humiliated right in front of us! Is that how much S.H.I.E.L.D. matters to you!?"

Jessica stopped herself and turned away. She had almost started tearing up, but she held back. Now wasn't the time. She could die in here for all she knew. Bobbi wasn't about to understand her anyway. Jessica was stupid to have trusted her in the first place. She should have known that anyone who would work for S.H.I.E.L.D. would never understand.

"I'm here to spy on you."

"...what?" asked Jessica quietly after a moment.

"Director Hill knows we slept together," explained Bobbi, "It wasn't like we worked particularly hard to hide it, after all. She still thinks you and Peter pose a threat, so I've been sent to use our relationship to spy on you."

"That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. is willing to pay 5 times my usual rate."

"Bingo," said Bobbi joylessly.

"Why would you tell me this?"

"I've always wanted to do the right thing," said Bobbi quietly, "That's why I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in the first place. You're not the first one to point out their flaws, but I was so convinced they were the good guys that I never believed it. I… I'm sorry, Jessica."

Jessica stared in disbelief. She was certain that Bobbi was just like the other authority figures she had had conflicts with in the past. She had never expected an apology. She really never expected Bobbi to admit that Jessica was right.

"What is it?" asked Bobbi after almost a full minute of silence.

"Nothing," said Jessica, "I'm just… impressed."

Bobbi nodded. That seemed to make her happy. Then she looked around the room and remembered where they were.

"I'm sorry," said Bobbi dejectedly, "I thought this would go better."

"You were tracking down a terrorist," said Jessica, "You can't possibly have expected it to be smooth."

"I thought with you onboard it would be," muttered Bobbi.

"Me?"

Bobbi looked at Jessica, blushed slightly, and looked away for a moment.

"Jessica…" said Bobbi, "I know you don't see it, but you're really good at this. You single handedly uncovered the truth of the Initiative, a secret that S.H.I.E.L.D. had kept hidden from the entire world for months. You helped fight off an alien invasion. You don't stop, ever. You leave no stone unturned and you let no one get in your way. You're like this unstoppable force of… you."

Jessica didn't respond. She continued to look Bobbi in the eye for a few minutes before looking away. Those words would have been difficult to believe coming from anyone. They outright stung coming from someone who had betrayed her.

"Whatever," shrugged Jessica, "We're stuck here anyway."

Bobbi considered for a moment. Then she looked around the room.

"At your full speed and strength," she said, "You can hit with almost 2000 lbs of force, right?"

"I've never done the math," said Jessica, "and I'm a little concerned that you have."

"It was all in your file," said Bobbi, "Right now, I'm pretty glad I read it."

"Why?" asked Jessica, "That's not enough to break down these walls."

"No," grinned Bobbi as she stood up, "but I bet if you hit this far wall as hard as you can…"

"It'll tilt the whole boat," realized Jessica, smiling, "So they'll have to come in to get me before I capsize the ship!"

"And that's when we'll get out!" declared Bobbi, "Time to rock the boat!"

"Can't you even be a badass without sounding like a complete dork?" sighed Jessica.

Bobbi blushed again.

Jessica took a deep breath, readied herself, and ran at the far wall with as much force as she could. She slammed into it with all of her strength. Sure enough, they both felt a huge jolt as the entire vessel tilted back and forth. Jessica slammed the wall again. This time the tilt was steeper, actually causing supplies to roll around on the floor. Jessica hit it again, then again, then again.

Finally the swaying was enough that even Bobbi was concerned they'd capsize. Jessica readied herself at the door with Bobbi until it finally opened. Several soldiers ran in. Jessica and Bobbi leapt on them from behind, making quick work of them and escaping out of the room unharmed as the ship continued to tilt wildly back and forth. They raced their way to the top deck.

"So how does it work?" asked Francine.

"Does it matter?" asked Rappaccini.

"Yes."

Francine Fyre stood surrounded by large men in workman's outfits, but she knew as well as Rappaccini did that they were all armed soldiers working for A.I.M. It had taken her weeks to get this deal set up, so she wasn't exactly in the position to question it when she found herself surrounded and outnumbered. Still, she wasn't going to let this woman rip her off. She wanted to know she was getting what she wanted.

"I'll simplify it for you," sighed Rappaccini, "Basically the suit is a giant battery that can absorb and release up to 100 volts at once and can store hundreds of times that amount. It interfaces with your neurology, allowing you to fully control the release and absorption of the electricity."

"Even electricity generated by a mutant?"

"You mean Maxwell Dillon?" asked Rappaccini.

Francine scowled. She didn't like that this woman knew that.

"Don't look so surprised," said Rappaccini, "Your online activity makes your motivations incredibly obvious, FFyre93."

"So will it work on him or not?"

"It should," said Rappaccini, "I would imagine he generates his electricity the way most mutants generate their powers, in which case it should be indistinguishable from the electricity we used in testing."

"Should be?"

"Lightning powered mutants aren't exactly in high supply," said Rappaccini, "We can't account for every possibility, you know."

"So this getup might not even work?" asked Francine, looking over the green and yellow suit.

"That's the life of a supervillain," said Rappaccini, "If you prefer, you can walk away and keep living your life as a groupie."

"No," said Francine, looking over the suit, "I'll take it."

"Good," nodded Rappaccini, turning to one of the soldiers, "See to it that Ms. Fyre gets out without being followed."

The soldier nodded and led Francine out. Rappacini nodded to the other soldiers, who began to break down the empty crate she had transported the suit in.

"Nice jumpsuit!" shouted Bobbi from the deck of the Chairman, "Did you get it at the science geek convention?"

Rappaccini turned furiously to face Jessica and Bobbi, who were both standing aboard the deck of her ship and looking at her. Jessica looked annoyed.

"You should really leave the one-liners to Spider-Man," she sighed.

"Get them!" ordered Rappaccini.

Several soldiers opened fire as Jessica and Bobbi dove for cover. Rappaccini ran to the far side of the boathouse as several soldiers continued firing while others ran to the ship to confront the intruders directly.

Jessica pushed a large wooden crate off the side of the deck, knocking out several soldiers as it burst open on their heads. Bobbi whipped one of her batons at the soldiers firing their weapons. The baton struck one of them in the head and knocked him out cold. The others turned to look at their downed comrade as Jessica leaped high into the air and landed down between them. Within a few seconds she had knocked them all to the ground and kicked them unconcious.

"That's the last of them!" shouted Bobbi, who had been keeping track, "Where's Rappaccini?"

"Fufufufufufu….." chuckled the mad scientist as she emerged from around a corner beside them, "The Mockingbird. What a pleasant surprise. And is this Jessica Jones you've brought with you? Fascinating."

"Listen here, nerd!" growled Jessica angrily as she approached the woman, "If you want to leave in one piece, I'd suggest you shut up and surrender now."

"An excellent suggestion," mused Rappaccini, "but I think I'd rather not. I'm not scared of some washed up detective-"

Jessica punched Rappaccini in the stomach before she could finish. She hadn't used all her strength, but it was enough to shut Rappaccini up and knock her out. At least Jessica thought it was. Rappaccini had keeled over from the punch, but then started laughing as she stood back up straight.

"Come on!" she laughed, "You hit like a-"

This time Jessica did use all of her strength. She punched Rappaccini square in the chest and sent her flying across the boathouse. She hit the far wall with a clang before falling to the ground in front of it. Both Bobbi and Jessica stared for a moment before the woman got back up to her feet, laughing.

"Surely you didn't think I'd leave myself vulnerable to a brute like yourself?" she chuckled, "This suit you were so keen to mock? It's my own invention. The gel layer between the armored exterior and soft interior absorbs kinetic energy before it causes me any harm. No matter how hard you hit me, I won't feel it."

"Oh, you'll feel it!" crieded Jessica, charging at Rappaccini.

"Jessica, wait!" cried out Bobbi.

"I've dealt with bullies my whole life," whispered Rappaccini as Jessica got closer, "and I've learned something about you lot. You can dish it out, but you can't TAKE IT!"

Rappaccini flexed her arms and a blue bolt fired out from her chest. Jessica only had time to gasp before she felt the impact hit her hard. She flew back with the force being hit by a speeding car, flying back and into the water. Bobbi sighed with relief to see Jessica alive, splashing as she clambered to get out of the mucky water .

"This suit doesn't just absorb kinetic energy," said Rappaccini, "It can release it right back. Phalanx technology is amazing, isn't it?"

Bobbi rushed up to the unconscious soldiers and picked up her baton. Holding them both at the ready, she faced Rappaccini ready to fight. She figured she'd aim for the head, since that way the suit wouldn't be able to absorb the impact. She could only hope Rappaccini had already released all her stored kinetic energy.

Bobbi ran straight at Rappaccini, ready to knock her out as soon as she was close enough. Rappaccini readied herself with a wide stance, punching her fist into her hand over and over again. She continued doing that as Bobbi got closer and closer. It wasn't until Bobbi was right about to strike that she realized why. Rappaccini flexed again and fired another blue bolt, this one containing the collective force of every punch Rappaccini had delivered to her palm. It was not as powerful as the blow that had hit Jessica, but it still blasted Bobbi away. Bobbi struggled to her knees, looking up as Rappaccini approached her confidently. She began punching her palm again, building up energy as she walked closer.

"Do you have any idea how many years of torment I had to put up with to get where I am?" asked Rappaccini, "My whole life I've been demeaned, called a nerd, and looked down upon just because I dedicate myself to science! You want to know why I called the Phalanx? Because of people like you who pushed me around and picked on me all my life! I welcomed techno-organic assimilation because it would mean I'd never have to deal with bullies agai- AIEE!"

Rappaccini squealed as she was pulled up and into the air by the back of her suit. Jessica stood behind her, maintaining a firm underhand grip on the lower half of Rappaccini's jumpsuit as she pulled higher and higher. The lights and mechanics all over the suit began to spark and crackle.

"You nerds talk too much," grumbled Jessica, irritable and still soaking wet.

"Hey! Stop it!" whined Rappaccini, "You're going to damage the kinetic- EEEAAAAH!"

Suddenly Rappaccini's voice rose several octaves as her face turned red and twisted into a pained shape. Her limbs twitched as every muscle in her body tensed. Blue sparks and lights emitted from the seat of her pants as a horrific ripping noise was heard. Then the suit seemed to power off.

"What was that?" asked Jessica.

"I think that wedgie damaged her suit," said Bobbi, "or did something with the kinetic energy."

"I can… taste my underpants…" muttered Rappaccini weakly, "...in the back of my throat…"

"I see," chuckled Jessica, dropping the scientist to the ground, "I think one of those kinetic bolts shoved her underpants right up into her."

"Ooh," winced Bobbi, imagining what that must have felt like, "I almost feel bad for her."

"I don't," said Jessica.

Rappaccini continued to moan on the floor. Jessica gave her a light kick in the head that knocked her out.

"She's all yours," she said.

"Thank you, Jessica Jones," smiled Bobbi.

Jessica nodded. Bobbi began to restrain Rappaccini.

"So…" said Jessica after a moment, "...what are you going to tell Hill?"

"That the mission was a success," said Bobbi.

"I mean about me," said Jessica, "Are you going to tell Hill that you have me fooled? That you can inform on me?"

"Well I think I botched that when I told you I was spying on you."

"What if you didn't?"

"...what do you mean?"

"What if you went back and told her that you had me pegged?"

Bobbi tilted her head.

"And what if then you fed her misinformation?" continued Jessica, "Hill's still out to get me, you said that yourself. I'd feel a lot safer if she had fake intel that kept her off my ass."

"I… Yeah," agreed Bobbi, "Yeah, I can do that. I owe you and Peter that much."

"Yeah. You do."

"So how do you want to handle this?"

"Swing by my place every weekend, say Fridays?" explained Jessica, "I'll put together fake weekly updates for you to give her."

"Your place? Wouldn't a neutral drop point be better?" suggested Bobbi, "Like a gas station or something?"

"Well yeah, but I don't want to fuck in a gas station."

"...Jessica? Are you suggesting…?"

"...that we have casual sex on a regular basis while you lie to your boss for me," smirked Jessica, "Yeah."

"You'd be comfortable with that?" asked Bobbi, "After what I did?"

"What can I say?" shrugged Jessica, "You're the best lay I've had in months. If you're really interested in making amends, I feel like that's as good a place to start as any. If you're down for it, of course."

Bobbi broke out into a huge smile, then quickly coughed and turned away. She was blushing again. She took a deep breath and responded.

"Yeah," said Bobbi, thinly masking her excitement, "Yeah, I'd be down for that."

"Nerd," sighed Jessica, rolling her eyes.

"Those are my thoughts," said Hill, "but of course I trust your judgment here, Captain Rogers. Do what you think is best."

"Is there anything else?" asked Steve coldly.

Hill scowled. Steve was going to be a problem. He had been liability from the start. Since Hill had fired Peter, Steve had stopped showing Hill anything more than the bare minimum amount of respect. She needed him gone. Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly fire Captain America.

"Yes," nodded Hill, "There is something else. You need to move past what happened with Mr. Parker. I know you're angry about me hurting his feelings, but trust me when I say I did what I did for the greater good."

"Okay," said Steve expressionlessly, "Anything else?"

He really wasn't going to budge on this. He wouldn't even entertain her explanation.

"...no," said Hill, "You're dismissed."

Steve got up and left as Bobbi approached the office from the other side of the glass wall. The two nodded to one another cordially before Steve walked off. Bobbi took his place in Hill's office. Hill gestured to a chair, where Bobbi took a seat.

"How's it going with Steve?" asked Bobbi, "Is he still mad about-?"

"Report," ordered Hill, "You said you had Jones marked. How confident are you in this?"

"Not terribly," said Bobbi, "She doesn't really let people get close, like it says in her file."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has a lot of work to do and not long to do it," said Hill intensely, "Is this going to be an efficient use of your time, Agent Morse?"

"Almost certainly," said Bobbi, "but I will know shortly if that isn't the case and can pivot myself accordingly."

"What is Jones's understanding of your relationship?" asked Hill, not giving Bobbi even a moment after she finished her sentence.

"She thinks we're hookup partners," explained Bobbi, "We have casual sex. Nothing more."

"How close to her do you think you can get?"

"I don't know yet," admitted Bobbi.

"You do know what you're doing," said Hill doubtfully, "Don't you, Agent Morse?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And I can depend on your loyalty?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That's interesting," said Hill, "because if that were the case, I feel like you would have voted with me at Mr. Parker's hearing."

"I didn't think voting alongside you was expected of me, ma'am," said Bobbi tensely.

Bobbi took a deep breath and sat up straight.

"And if I may offer my input on the matter," she said slowly and carefully, "I believe the way you handled Peter's expulsion was unprofessional, not to mention excessively cruel."

"He should never have been on the team."

"But why did you need to humiliate him like that?"

"Because," said Hill, leaning over the desk to Bobbi, "I need to be able to trust my allies, Agent Morse. I couldn't trust Parker. I needed to make it clear how I treat those I distrust. I show them no hesitation and no mercy."

Bobbi stared silently back at Hill.

"What do you think, Agent Morse?" asked Hill intensely, "Did I make that clear?"

"Yes," said Bobbi quietly, "You made it very clear. Am I free to go, ma'am?"

"You are," said Hill.

Bobbi got up and left. She was taking a big risk here. S.H.I.E.L.D. was everything to her. To strain her relationship to Hill was to strain her relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. She could get discharged or worse. It would be worth it though. If it meant even just one more night of being able to hold Jessica close though, it would be worth it.

"Agent Morse," greeted Agent Sitwell cheerily as he walked up beside her, a binder in his hands, "Guess who's being drafted to work on Phalanx tech?"

"What?" asked Bobbi as she took the binder, "Why me? I don't know anything about advanced computation."

"But you're one of the best biologists S.H.I.E.L.D. has," he said, "and the techs found records indicating the development of some sort of bioweapon."

"A bioweapon...?" repeated Bobbi to herself, stopping and opening the binder.

"Yup," nodded Agent Sitwell, "It's hard to say for sure because the techs are still translating it from binary or whatever, but the closest translation they've been able to find for it is 'symbiote.'"